I Should Have Worshiped Her Sooner
by DarkWolfHunter900
Summary: The sun just seems a little dimmer, the sky a little grayer, when you lost your little sun dragon. When she leaves, your life just seems pale in comparison to how it was before.


**This is alternatively titled 'You'll Never Leave Vale Alive', a change in the title from the song, ****_You'll never leave Harlan alive_**** by Ruby Friedman.**

**So yeah! I have no idea where this came from, but I just ran with it.**

In the nearby distance a trumpet played, bringing the heart wrenching tunes of death with it. Soon, a tenor could be heard, followed by the beat of a drum and the march of feet. People gather on the sidewalks of Vale, near the hunting academy titled Beacon. Civilians clutched their loved ones, donned in black, shaking their heads sadly as the marchers passed by. Windows of shops were closed and dark, no one dared to cause too much of a commotion on this day. Men and women, human and Faunus alike, dressed in their funeral best, putting aside their petty differences for someone who had done so much for them. At the head of the procession walked three people, hand in hand, knuckles white from their death grips. Behind them were four more people, also clutching on another's hands as if they were afraid to let go. As they walked, all to the tempo set by the small band in front of the casket, the clouds covered the few remaining slivers of sunlight. The rumble of thunder echoed in the nearly silent streets, bringing the telltale signs of rain with it. They only made it a few blocks further before the thunder and lightning brought pools of rainwater with them, starting to soak the marchers to the bone. People scrambled to cover the casket and the band with umbrellas, jackets, and anything else they could use to prevent damage to the precious materials. The seven at the top didn't mind, for the rain was something they could handle. The severe feeling of loss was something they could not.

For what seemed like an eternity, the funeral march finally reached the graveyard. The casket was carried down the path to where two tombstones sat, one already covered with grass, and one newly etched, with a hole already dug. The friends of the dead had requested, albeit forcefully, that the headstone be a rush order, as their friend deserved having stone with their name inscribed in it, for she had touched the lives of those around in her in her own special way. As the finally approached the wooden walkway surrounding the grave, one of the women in the front clutched her mouth with her free hand, trying to break up the sobs that wretched her body, black cat ears flat against her head with sadness. The red haired woman broke free of her hold the white haired woman and hugged her friend, trying to simulate the bear hugs their friend was known for. Sadly, this had the adverse effect, as Ruby only started to cry with Blake. People looked on with misery as Weiss simply shook with unshed tears, and Ruby and Blake clung to each other like the only thing tethering each other was the person wrapped in their arms.

Soon, it was time for the casket to be lowered into the hole. Time passed slowly as the pallbearers lowered the casket into the lift, being extra careful with the huntress' casket. Nobody wanted to drop the famous huntress' casket, lest they be destroyed by her loved ones. As words were attempted to be said before the huntress was lowered six feet below them, people sadly smiled as they remembered the woman's antics, and how she cheered everyone up. If only she were here now.

As people said their final words to the woman, they left one by one, each placing a flower atop the wooden curve, walking away as the small band now played a melancholic tune. But the three women stayed, not daring to leave their fallen teammate behind. It was too long fighting by her side to just leave now, when everything seemed like a horrific dream. Blake held her mouth, mimicking what she had done before, trying to prevent the tears from falling. Ruby was sitting against the lift responsible for lowering her sister into the ground, eyes red as her classic cloak, and arms hugging herself. Weiss was situated next to her, rubbing her back comfortingly as she just stared off into the distance, unsure of what to do. The times she had lost family friends and Schnee family employees were nothing compared to the loss she felt at that moment. It was like a hole, tearing her heart apart. As the tears bubbled in the corner of her eye, Weiss reached behind her and punched the wood of the casket. A heartbroken yell of "You oaf!" echoed around the trio. Blake took her hand off of her mouth, taking one last look at the headstone.

_Yang Xiao Long_

_Our Little Sun Dragon_

_Sister, Wife, Friend_

Blake clutched her ring as she walked down the path, needing time for herself. After years of having Yang at her side, from Beacon to battle to their own little apartment, she had never expected the fiery brawler to leave her so suddenly. At least, not at Torchwick's hands.

The Faunus woman remembered her screams of agony as Yang fell backward, legs limp, from the dust crystal Torchwick had thrown at her. Blake had been quick to catch Yang as her teammates chased, and eventually captured, the felon. Yang smiled at Blake, caressing her face. "_You just have to unlock this metal slide here in order to take Ember Celica off. I trust her with you, so don't you dare break her, okay? I don't need two of my babies broken, you got that?"_ Yang had jokingly stated, huffing in pain as the shrapnel dug into her spine. "_Just don't hurt yourself Blake. Live your life, okay? I'll see you soon. I love you."_ Blake frantically tried to take the shrapnel out, but at this point her blood loss was too much for her body take, and this was not the type of pain that Yang could use her aura to ignore and power up from. It just wasn't possible.

Blake had screamed at Yang, screamed at her to wake up, to stop joking around. When Weiss and Ruby returned, Weiss had to pry two screaming teammates off of a limp, frighteningly cold, teammate. Ruby had thrown herself into solo missions, almost on a suicide mission, causing Weiss to follow her and watch her back as she ran off. Blake decided to sit in her now quiet apartment, doing nothing at all. For even her books could not take her away from the pain the world held for her at that time.

Blake was brought out of her thoughts as she almost tripped over a root near the graveyard's lake. Taking a seat on a nearby stone bench, Blake slouched down. If she tried hard enough, she could almost feel the ghostly embrace of her loved one, her warmth embracing her. Blake choked back a sob, shaking her head as the rain slowed to a slight drizzle.

* * *

Figuring that enough time had passed, Blake finally stood up, wiping the remnants of tears from the corners of her eyes. She made her way back to the grave, and smiled sadly when she saw that Ruby and Weiss were waiting for her. Weiss had moved herself and Ruby to the tree where the small band had been playing, trying to prevent the two of them from getting sicker from the rain, presumably. Before approaching the two, Blake looked at the casket. She kissed her palm and placed it on the smooth wood, saying a final 'I love you'. The Faunus girl turned away and walked to her friends and leaving the place.

Blake knew that it would not be the last time they visited the grave.

* * *

Blake smiled as she watched Ruby and Weiss's grandchildren run off after the announcement of snow, and lightly laughed as she watched their parents scramble after their children in order to suit them up into their winter clothes. Her attention was drawn to the middle aged man who stood in front of her, a loving smile on his face. The man pushed Blake's fringe back and kissed her forehead, before embracing her in a bear hug. The sensation of a bear hug, so tight and strong, brought tears to Blake's eyes as she remembered the one woman who could envelop her into a protective bear hug years ago. "I love you mom," the man said before breaking away and going over with the other parents to converse about their children. Blake smiled again as the man walked, happy that she decided to adopt a Faunus boy when she retired at 40 from being a huntress. The boy was sweet and fought alongside his mother for equality in peaceful protests, as Blake had become the poster woman for human and Faunus equality long ago.

Soon the warmth from the fire drew Blake in, as she shakily stood, gripping her cane in one hand before making her way over to the armchair in front of the fire. She recalled sitting there each Christmas, telling children of both generations about the stories between a sun dragon, a cat, a white knight, and a red riding hood. When Ruby and Weiss had caught her the first time telling the stories, they had to take a double take in order to ensure that Yang had not suddenly appeared to tell children stories. From that point on, it had become a tradition for Blake to tell stories each Christmas, sometimes donning a santa suit if she felt particularly, well, Yang-y.

Finally relaxing in the worn leather of the armchair, Blake stretched, extending her old body as far as she could before snuggling into the chair. With a tired, happy smile on her face, she fell back into the embrace of sleep.

* * *

The first thing she noticed was that it was bright, and that her back didn't hurt.

"_Okay, that's the first thing you notice?"_ A familiar voice asked.

_What?_ Blake thought, her eyes adjusting painstakingly slow. Her nose seemed to pick up on the faint smell of gunpowder and ash, along with the smell of leather. Had the house exploded? What had happened? Where was she? In the hospital? Did she lose feeling in her back?

"_Wow, you became such a worrywart Blakey."_

Blakey. That name struck a chord in her heart. Only one person called her that, but she was long gone. Long, long gone. Shaking it off as a trick of the mind, Blake was finally able to take in her surroundings. She wasn't in the hospital. She was in the

_RWBY dorm? Why am I here?_ Blake thought, turning around, a frown on her face. She came face to face with a sight she had seen an eternity ago. _No. This is some sick trick of my mind. She can't be here. She can't be real._ Frightened with blossoming tendrils of hope, Blake spun around and ran out of the room. As she ran down the familiar hallways, she almost bumped into Velvet.

_Velvet? She died ten years ago after stopping the last rogue White Fang members. What is she… Why are Jaune and Pyrrha standing under the archway? They died… No. _ Her quick mind had finally caught up to her, and she slowly turned around to see a woman running after her, worry on her face.

"Blake, wait up! I didn't even get to say anything!" Yang approached her, rubbing the back of her head with her hand. "You kind of dashed out of there like a cat. I'm not kitten." She sheepishly added, before guffawing as Blake punched her shoulder. It had took Blake a second, but she saw that Yang was in her casual attire from their years in Beacon, not the gear she wore when she died.

"Yang, why am I here?" Yang smiled softly, taking Blake's hands. The soft, loving contact was enough to bring Blake to tears.

"I think you're smart enough to figure that out, Blake." Yang said gently, leaning into Blake for a kiss. Blake felt like she couldn't reach her wife fast enough, throwing her arms around the brawler and bringing her to the ground. Their kiss was shorter than expected, as Yang started laughing, wiping the happy tears from Blake's eyes. "It's okay kitten, I'm not going to be leaving you now. We're together in infinity now."

Blake could only whisper, tears streaming down her face as she snuggled even closer into Yang's neck. It was loud enough and full of meaning that it brought tears to Yang's eyes.

"My little sun dragon is here. My little sun dragon is back."

* * *

**(Just a tiddly bit of an edit. Had to fix the line breaks here so it didn't seem funky)**


End file.
